III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 48 

Recognizing 375 years of service of the National Guard and affirming congressional support for a permanent Operational Reserve as a component 

of the Armed Forces. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 12, 2012 

Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Mr. GRAHAM) submitted the following concurrent 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing 375 years of service of the National Guard and 

affirming congressional support for a permanent Operational Reserve as a component of the Armed Forces. 

Whereas the first volunteer militia unit in America was 

formed in 1636 in Massachusetts Bay, followed by other 

units in the colonies of Virginia and Connecticut; 

Whereas from the opening salvos at Lexington and Concord, 

to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 

1783, the volunteer patriots and minutemen of the American militia helped create the United States of America; 

Whereas the American founding fathers wrote article I, section 8, of the United States Constitution to keep the militia model, authorizing only a small standing military 


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•SCON 48 IS 

force that could organize, train, and equip militia volunteers when needed; 

Whereas the American militia answered the call during the 

second war with Britain in 1812; 

Whereas in the 19th Century, during the Mexican-American 

War, the United States Civil War, and the SpanishAmerican War, State militia volunteers mustered when 

called and more than 300,000 gave their lives in service 

of the United States of America; 

Whereas in World War I, nearly all National Guardsmen 

were mobilized into Federal service, and while they represented only 15 percent of the total United States Army, 

they comprised 40 percent of the American divisions sent 

to France and sustained 43 percent of the casualties in 

combat; 

Whereas in World War II, the National Guard comprised 19 

Army divisions and 29 observation squadrons with aircraft assigned to the United States Army Air Forces; 

Whereas the National Defense Act of 1947 formed the Air 

National Guard, created a minimum of one flying unit in 

each State, with the result of more than 44,000 Air 

Guard troops serving in Korea and 4,000 Air Guard 

troops in Vietnam; 

Whereas the Air National Guard flew 30,000 sorties and 

50,000 combat hours during Operation Desert Storm 

over 37 days and were some of the first units into the 

fight; 

Whereas, on September 11, 2001, the first fighter jets over 

New York City and Washington, DC, were Air National 

Guard F–15 and F–16 aircraft from Massachusetts and 


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North Dakota, with over 400 more Air National Guard 

fighter aircraft on alert by that afternoon; 

Whereas 456,974 Air and Army National Guard soldiers and 

airmen have deployed in the many campaigns since 9/11; 

Whereas Air and Army National Guard soldiers and airmen 

have been involved in countless domestic response missions, including missions in response to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and forest fires; 

Whereas during the Cold War, the National Guard was regarded as a Strategic Reserve to be held in case of a Soviet invasion of Europe, yet, since 9/11, the National 

Guard and the Federal Reserves have made the transition to an Operational Reserve, in constant use and rotation for missions at home and abroad; 

Whereas the Operational Reserve has time and again demonstrated its readiness to meet operational requirements, 

and its mission- and cost-effectiveness and volunteerism 

are the heart of modern United States military service; 

Whereas the Operational Reserve must be sustained by a 

fully manned and fully funded National Guard in the 

spirit intended by the Framers and enshrined in article 

I of the Constitution; and 

Whereas the Air Force, in its fiscal year 2013 budget, has 

advanced a proposal to convert the Air National Guard 

from the Operational Reserve to the Strategic Reserve of 

yesteryear: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes the critical importance of the 

4 Operational Reserve as a component of the Armed 


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1 Forces, particularly as a means of preserving combat 

2 power during a time of budget austerity; 

3 (2) supports making permanent the Operational 

4 Reserve as the cornerstone of military manpower in 

5 the decades to come; 

6 (3) repudiates proposals to return the Reserve 

7 Components to a diminished or purely strategic role 

8 in United States national security; 

9 (4) affirms the growth of the Operational Re10 serve as circumstances warrant; and 

11 (5) recognizes the dual-status, State-Federal 

12 National Guard as the foundation of the Operational 

13 Reserve and of military manpower now and in the 

14 future. 

Æ 


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